This invention relates to the field of planters, and in particular, to a planter system for outdoor plants.
The present invention is a garden and landscaping apparatus which solves several common problems encountered in the care of plants. Water is becoming an increasingly scarce, and therefore, valuable, commodity. Typical plant watering methods are wasteful in that an area is watered rather than specific plantings. This results in watering adjacent and surrounding land beyond a plant's root system. Consequently, not only is water wasted, but the growth of undesired adjacent plants, i.e., weeds, is also encouraged. In the past, this has not been a problem where water and labor have been plentiful. This is no longer the case today. Water is becoming a scarce commodity. With sky-rocking water costs to the average gardener and home owner, the economic feasibility of gardening requires drastic changes in gardening practices.
Historically, one way to combat water wastage in gardening has been to grow a plant in a pot rather than in a field. Pot growing also substantially eliminates problems from weeds. Major disadvantages to the use of growing pots includes the cost of a growing pot and also the problems associated with a growing pot having enough room to allow a plant to develop a full root system. The larger the growing pots, the more costly they become. The costs of the growing pots, therefore, off-sets the economic advantages of water conservation. Field grown plants eliminate the cost of growing pots as well as the artificial limitations on a plant's root system. However, field grown plants are wasteful of water resources and have substantial weed problems.
The use of enclosures which surround plants, and other temporary enclosures has been heretofore proposed. The enclosures are generally planar and provide weed suppression and plant protection. The enclosures of the prior art generally have a raised ring formed about a central opening. The ring provides protection for a central plant but actually makes it difficult for the plant to receive water as the ring acts as a liquid barrier. To overcome this problem, many of the prior art planar enclosures have perforations formed therein wherein liquid can then reach the covered ground. However, this defeats the purpose of the planar enclosure in that weeds now receive liquid and can grow through the perforations.
Another problem with prior art enclosures is the difficulty in using plant covers. It is desirable from time to time to use covers over growing plants. The covers protect against adverse weather conditions and extreme temperatures. The few prior art enclosures available rest a temporary simple cover or permanently attach a cover to the enclosure. The temporary covers easily slide off or are blown off by wind. The permanent covers simply cannot be removed or are very difficult to remove.
Another problem with prior art enclosures is the difficulty in using wire growing or wire protective cages. Certain types of plants require a growing cage for supporting growth, such as tomatos, string beans, cucumbers, and the like. Other types of plants require a protective cage against predators, such as squirrels, rabbits, and deer. Applicant is not aware of any prior art enclosures which may be used in conjunction with a wire cage.